Yes, there is a free route planner and navigation app with a dedicated bike profile for e-bikes and city bikes, and it does not ask you to make an account. It is called Urban Rider, it is the app I make, and it now covers four vehicle profiles: scooter, moped, motorcycle and bike. That last one means it doubles as a free e-bike route planner and a bike route planner for everyday urban riding.
If you have ever asked a car-first map app for a route on an e-bike and watched it push you onto a busy four-lane road, you already know why a purpose-built bike navigation app matters. This page explains how it works, who it is genuinely right for, and how to plan your first ride in a couple of minutes.
Why a dedicated bike profile beats a car map
Google Maps and Apple Maps are very good at driving a car, and that is exactly why they can let a cyclist down. Two things go wrong the moment you are on an e-bike or a city bike:
- They send you down roads a bike should avoid. A car-first router happily routes you along fast arterials and, in some cases, roads bikes are not allowed on, because it is optimising for a car, not for you.
- They estimate arrival times at car speed. A trip the app times at 50 km/h takes much longer on a 25 km/h city e-bike, so you leave late and arrive rushed.
A dedicated bike profile flips that around. It starts from the fact that you are on two wheels at bike speed, and it plans the route and the ETA accordingly. That is the whole point of a proper e-bike navigation app rather than a car app you squint at on a handlebar.
How Urban Rider plans your bike route
Urban Rider starts from your vehicle, not from a car. The first time you open it you pick your machine and its speed, and every route after that respects it:
- Pick the bike profile. Choose bike, then set your speed: a 25 km/h city e-bike or a 45 km/h speed pedelec. The routing rulebook follows the speed you choose, because those genuinely ride differently.
- Stay on roads and lanes a bike should use. Routing steers you away from fast arterials and roads bikes are not allowed on, keeping you on calmer streets and bike-friendly connections.
- Get honest bike ETAs. Arrival times use realistic bike speeds, so a 25 km/h e-bike is timed at 25 km/h and a 45 km/h speed pedelec at 45 km/h, not at whatever a car would do.
- Glance, do not stare. The navigation view stays glanceable, showing just the next turn, the distance and your speed, which is all you should read on a handlebar mount.
- Charge with confidence. Riding an e-bike with range to manage? The app can show charging stops along your route so a long commute stops being a guessing game.
It is free, needs no account, works on your Apple Watch, and your route history stays on the device rather than on a server. It is a real native app on both iOS and Android, not a stripped-down web page, which matters when you want a fast bike navigation app that pairs with a phone mount.
Who this is for, honestly
I would rather you download the right tool than the wrong one, so here is the straight version. Urban Rider is built for the full two-wheel spectrum, and it shines for everyday urban and e-bike commuting, and for people who switch between a bike and a scooter or moped. One app, one familiar interface, whichever machine you grab that morning.
It is not a sport, touring or off-road app. If what you want is detailed elevation profiles, gravel and mountain-bike trails, or planning multi-day tours, a dedicated cycling route planner aimed at sport riders will serve you better. Urban Rider is a free cycling route planner for getting across town, not up a mountain. If that is the riding you do, you are in the right place.
| Bike profile | Typical vehicle | Routing keeps you on | ETA based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 km/h | City e-bike, standard bicycle | Calm streets and bike-friendly roads | 25 km/h |
| 45 km/h | Speed pedelec | Roads and lanes a faster bike may use, away from arterials | 45 km/h |
Plan your first ride in four steps
- Download Urban Rider free from the App Store or Google Play. No sign-up screen.
- Pick the bike profile and set your speed (25 km/h city e-bike or 45 km/h speed pedelec) so routing and ETAs match your bike.
- Enter your destination and Urban Rider builds a route that keeps a bike on roads and lanes it should use, away from fast arterials.
- Ride with the glanceable navigation view on your handlebar mount, with the next turn also on your wrist.
If you also ride a scooter or moped, my guide to the free scooter and moped route planner covers the same app from the powered side, and my rider-tested rundown of the best scooter and moped navigation apps compares the options. For the bigger picture on light vehicles, see the micromobility guide.
An honest word on what this is
Urban Rider is newer and smaller than the giant map apps, and I will not pretend otherwise. What it does have is a single, sharp focus: being the navigation app for two-wheelers, including a real bike profile for e-bikes and city bikes, instead of a car app with two wheels bolted on as an afterthought. For the daily ride to work or across town, that focus is exactly what you want from a free e-bike route planner.
Navigation built for your scooter, not a car
Urban Rider routes your moped or scooter onto roads it is actually allowed to ride, avoids highways by default, and gives arrival times at real scooter speed. Free, no account needed.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free e-bike route planner?
Yes. Urban Rider is a free e-bike route planner and navigation app with a dedicated bike profile, and it does not ask you to create an account. You pick the bike profile and your speed, such as a 25 km/h city e-bike or a 45 km/h speed pedelec, and it plans routes that keep you on roads and lanes a bike should use. Arrival times are calculated at realistic bike speeds rather than at car speed.
What is the best navigation app for an e-bike?
For everyday urban and commuting use, Urban Rider is one of the best free e-bike navigation apps in 2026 because it is built around two-wheel vehicles rather than cars. The bike profile steers you away from fast arterials and roads bikes are not allowed on, shows charging stops for electric models, and keeps the navigation view glanceable, down to one clear instruction on a handlebar mount. It is not a sport, touring or off-road app, so riders who want elevation profiles or gravel and mountain-bike trails are better served by a dedicated cycling app.
Does it work for a speed pedelec (45 km/h)?
Yes. Urban Rider has a 45 km/h profile that suits a speed pedelec as well as a 25 km/h profile for a standard city e-bike. You choose the speed that matches your bike, and routing plus ETAs adjust to it, so a 45 km/h speed pedelec is timed at 45 km/h instead of at car speed. You can switch between the 25 km/h and 45 km/h bike profiles at any time.
Is it free?
Yes. Urban Rider is a genuinely free bike route planner. There is no account to create, no subscription and no paywalled routing. Your route history stays on your own device rather than on a server, and the app is a native download on both iOS and Android.
Stop letting a car app decide where your e-bike goes. Download Urban Rider free and plan your next ride on roads your bike is actually built for.